QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 309)
RA 309 vests supervision and regulation of horse-racing in a Commission on Races consisting of a chairman and four members appointed by the President with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, removable at the President’s pleasure for a term as the President determines. For administrative purposes, the Commission is under the supervision and control of the Department of the Interior.
Subject to approval of the Secretary of the Interior, it may prescribe additional rules; enforce laws/rules on horse-racing; approve rules affecting races issued by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office or other entities; require proper construction/maintenance of tracks; ensure sanitary accommodations; require an equipped emergency clinic for jockeys and track personnel; prohibit improper devices/drugs/stimulants that artificially enhance speed or materially harm horses; supervise race-track/racing club officials and races authorized by the PCSO or others; and perform other duties as may be prescribed by law or regulations.
It is unlawful for any person, race-track, racing club, or entity to hold or conduct horse-racing where betting in any form is allowed unless duly licensed by the Commission on Races. A license must specify the licensee (person/track/club/entity), the place/enclosure/track where races are held, and the days permitted.
Private individuals and duly licensed entities may hold races on Sundays not reserved, on 24 Saturdays determined by the Commission, and on legal holidays except Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, July 4, and December 30. Reserved dates include: 2nd Sunday and 1st Saturday afternoon monthly for Philippine Anti-Tuberculosis Society; 4th Sunday of Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct and 3rd Sunday of Dec for PCSO; 4th Sundays of Jan/May/Jul/Sep and 2nd Saturday afternoons of Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct for White Cross, Inc.; and 4th Sunday of March for the national Grand Derby Race held by the Anti-Tuberculosis Society.
No private person/entity may employ a jockey, starter, weigher, or any other official directly connected with race running unless duly licensed by the Commission on Races. Licenses are yearly and may be withdrawn/revoked for incompetence, dishonest/fraudulent practice, or violation of laws/rules/regulations on horse-racing. Charitable/relief/civic organizations authorized to hold races may employ their own personnel.
If crossings exceed ₱50,000 on any race day, the holder must install an automatic electrically-operated public indicator system and ticket-selling machines such that every ticket purchased on each horse is instantaneously recorded by electrical impulse on a prominently displayed bulletin board readable from a distance. If provisionally licensed, mechanical/deuces may be used instead, subject to Commission approval; however, the automatic electric totalizator must be installed within the Commission-determined period but not beyond June 30, 1948 or licenses are cancelled.
Each track/racing entity must appoint official starters. The stewards of the day designate, from among those appointed by the club, a starter for each race. There must be at least three stewards per racing day who may act as judges of finish and supervise/decide race outcomes, apply penalties, and perform additional duties prescribed by the Commission.
Stewards decide win/place/show in each race in the order horses crossed the tape line; for closely contested events they must use photo-finish pictures to apply the decision. They also enforce penalties provided against offending jockeys, trainers, horse owners, track employees, or others performing duties connected with the races.
Each racing entity must employ at least one handicapper who keeps complete, up-to-date records of registered horses (including identification characteristics and group/class) and the weight each carried in previous races. They prepare the race program according to Commission rules, but the program must be approved by the Commission before publication as the official program.
The Commission appoints field inspectors to observe events at various track locations, detect anomalies/irregularities during the race, at starting/finishing, and detect fraudulent/dishonest acts. They report immediately to the stewards, who then take prompt action as warranted.
To supervise and verify the accuracy of reports on totalizator receipts/wagers, dividends, and financial computations/statements. The Commission appoints auditing officers and checkers who report irregularities or erroneous computations to the Commission.
Before races, jockeys are quartered in an assigned enclosure apart from the public. They may not communicate with any person in the track except authorized officials/representatives of the race entity or Commission officials. They may leave the enclosure only to ride a race and must remain until after their last race of the day.
If two or more horses belonging to one owner or trained/cared for in one stable are entered in the same race, they are treated as one “entry” and paired in betting as one horse; if any wins, ticket holders for the entry get the dividends. The handicappers may also group horses into a “field” if they are from different owners or stables, and field ticket holders are paid dividends corresponding to the field winner.
The face value of tickets (₱1/₱2/₱5) is the basis for dividend computation; dividends are paid after eliminating fractions of ten centavos. If no ticket was sold on a winning horse (win/place/show), dividends are paid to ticket holders of horses that finished dead heat or the horse that finished next to the one on which no tickets were sold; the owner of the winning horse is still entitled to the corresponding stake/prize.
Daily-double events may be held only as authorized by the Commission. Before each daily-double race, the entity must announce via loud-speakers jockey names, weights, number of tickets sold per horse, and total tickets sold (with second race announcement tied with the winning horse of the first race). It must submit ticket stubs and required betting information for verification to the Commission auditors. Ticket sales are allowed only after the Commission (or authorized representatives) announces the two races; ticket numbers per horse and totals must be posted and announced publicly; and after a bell rings closing ticket sales, no more tickets may be sold.
For regular races: 87.5% distributed as dividends; 12.5% set aside as the conducting entity’s commission, including authorized stakes/prizes and jockey bonuses. For daily-double races: same 12.5% structure, but 87.5% dividends go to holders of the winning combination (horses that won first place in both races). Within the 12.5%, an amount equivalent to 0.5% of total wager funds is a special fund turned over to the Commission for its expenses and other authorized purposes. Any unexpended balance exceeding ₱10,000 at year-end is turned over to the Bureau of Animal Industry exclusively to promote horse-breeding.
Any ruling, decision, or order of the Commission on Races may be appealed to the Secretary of the Interior, whose decision is final.
Racing clubs, race-tracks, persons/entities holding horse-races, and their officials (including stewards, judges, handicappers, jockeys, and starters) are prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in betting on races conducted in their own race-tracks. Members of the Commission on Races, including officials/employees of the Commission, are also prohibited from betting on any races.
Minors under 18 are not allowed except when accompanied by parents/guardians; persons carrying deadly weapons/firearms are not admitted except peace officers or authorized race-track/Commission officials in official functions; and intoxicated persons are not allowed. Minors may not bet or purchase wager tickets for others. Minors under 15 are not allowed admission in any race track.